Founded in 2011, the "Orgue en France" association has given itself the mandate of taking inventory of all organs, whether in playing order or in disrepair in France. According to information pulled from its website, France holds five centuries of the craft of organ-making; 10,000 organs; hundreds of other organ societies/associations; 200 classes of organs; 80 enterprises of organ-makers and hundreds of thousands of organ lovers.

It's most recent project is to find and inventory lost and forgotten organs in France. They have thus far ...

From recent postings from Dr. Phillip Serna, news of his very active and successful "Viols in our Schools" program. Follow Dr. Serna's account of his success stories and technique in his approach to teaching young students of the value of music, and, in particular, those of early music and music on viols. ...

"Though often imagined as a primarily English ensemble, the viol consort had a rich history in France as another vehicle for that nation's characteristically colorful and expressive musical imagination. ...

"In 2016 we celebrate our 40th anniversary! From July 19th to August 27th the city of Innsbruck will be once again filled with fabulous concerts and rare operas from the Renaissance and Baroque era.

The festival’s artistic director Alessandro De Marchi will conduct “Il matrimonio segreto” by Domenico Cimarosa, a prime example of the opera buffa, featuring outstanding singers like Vesselina Kasarova, Donato Di Stefano or Renato Girolami. De Marchi’s predecessor René Jacobs, who sang the first notes in the first ever festival concert in 1976, will be back in Innsbruck to conduct C. W. Gluck’s dark masterpiece “Alceste”. Another key event of the festival is the opera "Le nozze in sogno" that was only recently identified as being composed by Innsbruck's court composer Antonio Cesti. ...

Although this article does not specifically speak of early music musicians, it may be of interest to some of us on the retirement decisions taken by some professional musicians (Marc Paré, EarlyMusicNews.org editor)

"Performing music is a consuming profession. The mental concentration and physical precision and accuracy required are intense. And after thousands of hours in childhood spent mastering an instrument and many thousands more in rehearsals and performances, retirement can be an appealing prospect. ...

"Outstanding harpsichordist Luc Beauséjour has done the unexpected. Analekta is proud to present his brand new recording, Baroque Session on Piano, which once again raises the question of whether works intended for the harpsichord should be played on the piano. Luc Beauséjour answers the question by playing. ...

"The collection of over 400 Marian devotional songs compiled sometime in the middle to late 13th century at the court of Alfonso X, is monumental in size. The sheer number of pieces contained in the collection is impressive.

Alfonso’s Cantigas de Santa Maria are unique for the vernacular language, Galician-Portuguese, in which they are written. The collection is also unique in terms of its musical notation. ...

Interesting article on ticket sales that are most likely prevalent in many regions of the globe and for all concert genres. (Marc Paré, EarlyMusicNews.org editor)

"... Those are some of the findings in a detailed report to be released on Thursday by the New York attorney general, Eric T. Schneiderman, about the opaque world of ticket scalping for concerts, sports and other entertainment events.

The report, titled “Why Can’t New Yorkers Get Tickets?” is the result of a three-year investigation of the online ticketing market, and portrays ...

"That the viola da gamba music of Marin Marais represents a treasure trove of expressive and technical possibilities is just reason for Paolo Pandolfo’s eagerly-awaited return to the composer’s works with his new Marais 1689 recording for Glossa. Pandolfo’s style of playing is apt for this music: meticulousness and sensitivity, and a technical strength which allows him to demonstrate the instrument’s versatility and gives him a sense of rare freedom. ...

Artistic Director Raphaël Pichon recreates Rossi's Orféo which has not been heard since 400 years. In cooperation with the CNRS and the Centre de Musique Baroque de Versailles, and thanks to a large and meticulous endeavour, Pygmalion offers this occasion to discover this work never presented in France! ...

"This six-day course will cover the technique and presentation of Baroque dance and is designed for all levels from the absolute beginner to the professional dancer. No previous dance experience is necessary, although any knowledge of other dance forms will enable you to pick up the steps more easily. ...

"With this performance of vocal and instrumental works composed by the 10-year-old Mozart and his contemporaries during 1766, Classical Opera entered the second year of their 27-year project, MOZART 250, which is designed to ‘contextualise the development and influences of [sic] the composer’s artistic personality’ and, more audaciously, to ...

"Sponsored by Early Music America, this national, grassroots campaign is designed to raise awareness of early music throughout the larger North American music community. Early Music Month seeks to connect enthusiasts, performers, presenters, scholars, builders, students, and venues to bring early music to its widest audience ever, and we can’t do it without you! ...

First international competition held in France for instrumental soloists of the Baroque repertoire. The Concours Corneille is open to young musicians of all nationalities from the most prestigious schools. The jury will also be of specialists of renowned stature. ...

After three successful "European Day of Early Music" events over the last three years, REMA (Réseau Européen de la Musique Ancienne) announces its third "Early Music Day" in Europe. Events are coordinated over all of the European states and event organizers are encouraged to register on the REMA site ...

"Apparently, it was the trumpet itself that was largely to blame for the death of J.S. Bach's primary trumpeter, Gottfried Reiche, in 1737.

The much-storied tragedy happened the day after a particularly gruelling concert when Reiche simply dropped dead of a stroke while walking on the street and the story has since been used as an example of how truly difficult baroque-era trumpets are to play. ...

News from the Long-Thibaud-Crespin Foundation that there will be no Concours Long Thibaud in 2016. The foundation will take the time in the next few months of 2016 to reorganize the competition with a return to its competition in 2017. The long-standing competition (since 1943) will be sorely missed this year . A note as well that the 2016 edition - singing competition has been moved to 2017. ...

"EMA's fourth Medieval and Renaissance Competition will take place at the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore, Maryland on October 1, 2016. Our competition brings together some of the brightest up-and-coming performers of music between 1000 and 1600. ...

THE ACCOMPANIMENT OF RECITATIVE AND ARIA in the 17th & 18th CENTURIES will be one of the main subjects of this year’s course on basso continuo at the Universität der Künste in Berlin (February 10 and 11). We will discuss and try ...

The Historical Keyboard Society of North America (HKSNA) will hold its Fifth Annual Meeting, coinciding with the Eighth Mae & Irving Jurow International Harpsichord Competition, at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, Oberlin College, Ohio, U.S.A., March 20-23, 2016. The conference, entitled “The Compleat Keyboardist: harpsichord, fortepiano, organ, clavichord, continuo” hopes to inspire us with the variety of instruments played by our forefathers and foremothers. ...

The 2016 Eighth International Mae and lrving Jurow Harpsichord Competition, sponsored by the Historical Keyboard Society of North America, will be held March 21-23, 2016, Oberlin College, Ohio. Semi-finals will be held on Monday March 21. Finals will be completed and awards will be announced on the evening of Wednesday, March 23. ...

"Well, this is it: The last notes have been sung. After a journey spanning over a thousand years of music, nearly 30 years of international touring and more 20 recordings on the harmonia mundi label, Anonymous 4 is closing up shop. ...

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